Six years ago, in the late summer of 2004, I was forwarded a call for submissions for a sex worker magazine in the works. I pitched a piece, and it didn’t really go anywhere. I kept writing my personal blog, working out my shit around doing sex work, my attempts at non-monogamy, and tried to find my voice and my community. But then I kept hearing more about the magazine, called $pread. And I kept bugging the editors. I wanted to help. But more than that, I wanted to meet and know other sex workers. I wanted to be known and understood by them. In the early winter, I responded to a panicked ask – they needed some content to finish up the magazine before it went to print. ASAP. I delivered several news pieces and then jumped into the process of making a magazine. Which none of us knew how to do.

Here I am, working the door (a job that I did at lots of $pread parties) at our launch on March 17, 2005, sporting a t-shirt with the first version of the $pread logo.

After the debut of the first issue, I became the News and Shorts Editor. And then, one issue later, I became an Executive Editor (one of two). In January 2008, I made the decision to leave $pread after more than three years of intense volunteering with the project.

It isn’t an understatement to say that $pread, and the people involved with it, transformed my life.

$pread helped me claim my voice as a sex worker, and fight to make space for other sex workers to do the same. Working on $pread made me believe that storytelling is the building block of movement building, and that both making our own media and challenging discourse about sex workers in mainstream media are crucial elements of the struggle for sex workers’ rights. $pread led directly to the creation of Sex Work Awareness and was the inspiration for the Speak Up! media training (which started as a session at the 2006 Desiree Alliance conference called “Journalism for Sex Workers”). And $pread has certainly been in my mind as I’ve developed the Red Umbrella Diaries.

It’s very sad to see it end, but it will have a graceful exit. And, perhaps more importantly, we are planning ways for the magazine to remain accessible as a resource well into the future.

Here’s the official $pread statement:

Hello $pread fans. We regret to inform you that, while we expect to publish 5.4, the Crime and Punishment Issue and 6.1, the Race Issue (guest-edited by a fabulous collective of sex workers of color) by January, $pread will close its glittery doors soon after the dawn of the New Year.

Once the remaining two issues have been posted, we will fulfill subscriptions for those of you who are owed them with the option of back issues, or, if you’re feeling generous, a waiver to help us with closing costs. We apologize for those of you who have only recently come to know us, and to all our longtime supporters. After all these years, five all-volunteer years to be exact, we have come to the conclusion that an all-volunteer magazine is simply unsustainable in the current publishing climate. Short of a donation of $30,000, we will be unable to sustain the magazine past January.

For those of you with a hankering for $pread merchandise and back issues, make sure to go to the $pread Shop (www.spreadmagazine.org/shop) in the next few months. For those of you who do not currently have a subscription, please purchase the next two issues individually. Once we print the next two issues, we will donate the materials to our outreach partners as well as lay the foundation for a physical archive, complete with all the $pread memories of yore, blemishes and all.

We hope that you will look forward to a $pread retrospective in book form, featuring highlights of our five years of publishing. We will also package a ‘$pread Scrapbook’ for sex worker advocates looking for tips and tricks on publishing a magazine by and for people working in the sex industry. We are producing these materials in the hopes that our model will help motivate the continued movement for social justice among our many and varied communities, in the same way Danzine inspired our own publication. We also close our doors in the comfort of knowing that right now, around the world, sex worker-run and sex worker-supportive media such as ConStellation (www.chezstella.org) in Montreal, Flower in Beijing, and Red Light District Chicago (www.redlightdistrictchicago.com) are holding forth on the issues that matter to our communities.

$pread was motivated by the motto “Illuminating the Sex Industry.” We submit these five years of blood, sweat, and tears to you as a testament to this founding sentiment. May the struggle to end the stigma, discrimination, and violence perpetrated against our communities end in justice, and may the flashy strobe light of sex worker rights never go out, but illuminate the sex industry for the world to see.

SCREENING: “In Our Own Image: Sex Worker Produced Media & The Story of $pread Magazine” 2009, Mandona Productions, 20 minutes

Wed. May 27th @ 7pm
Bluestockings Books, 172 Allen St. (btw Stanton & Rivington) in NY

$5 suggested donation benefits Sex Worker Empowerment Project.

What happens when sex workers become not just the subjects of media gaze, but reporters and publishers of sex trade news? This documentary short looks at $pread Magazine, an example of sex worker-made media, and discusses its aim to change the way media itself approaches sex work. Followed by a panel/discussion on sex worker rights media, movements and legislation.

Panelists:
Andrea Ritchie, esq.: Civil Rights attorney and Director, Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center

Louise Cheung: current Photo Editor of $pread magazine, involved with the magazine for the past 2 1/2 years.

Ignacio Rivera: Queer, gender-shifting, Trans- Entity, Black Boricua performance artist, activist, sex educator and sex worker. Ignacio is founder of Poly Patao Productions and founding board member of Queers for Economic Justice.

Join us at the 6th Annual Conference: HOPE to ACTION
Saturday, May 30, 2009
9am-6pm: Hunter College, 68th St & Lexington Ave

Tables are still available – reserve yours today.

Registration is now open — save cash, register early!

Sex Work Awareness co-founder Audacia Ray will be joined by Speak Up alumna Megan Andelloux and $pread editor Monica Shores in a panel called “Sex Workers, Resistance, and the Media” Our panel is from 10:30 am-noon.

Here is the panel description:

Sex workers are frequently maligned and misrepresented in the mainstream media, where stories are most often about scandals, busts, violence, health and safety risks, exploitation, legislation, and moral judgment. This panel of present and former sex workers who are activists and media makers will address the ways we are represented in mainstream media and what sex workers and their allies can do to challenge and remake the way we are perceived. We will present media projects created by sex workers and discuss challenges encountered in the process of distribution and building an audience for our work. The workshop will conclude with making a short PSA video about how sex workers and allies can work together.

Panelists:
Audacia Ray is a media maker and activist who is passionate about sexual rights, and is the author of Naked on the Internet. Audacia is a former sex worker who was an editor at $pread magazine and co-founded the advocacy and support organization Sex Work Awareness. Dacia has been writing her personal blog, Waking Vixen, since 2004.

Megan Andelloux works as a board certified sexual educator , sexual rights activist and author in the book: We Got Issues! She is the founder of a Sexual Resource Center, located in Providence, RI where she hosts workshops, speakers, and activist events related to sex positive issues.

Monica Shores is Managing Editor of and frequent contributor to $pread magazine. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Nerve.com, The Rumpus, DCist, Popmatters, Alternet, and Make/shift magazine. She also pens a bimonthly column for CarnalNation on sex worker rights.

Courtney Trouble in The Burnout
Director/Producers: Carol Leigh AKA Scarlot Harlot, Courtney Trouble
In this video, a ‘day in Courtney’s life’ parallels her journey from phone sex to sexual representation/pornography as well as her political journey, interwoven with sex worker demonstrations, clips and photos from sex worker organizations. This music video reflects a personal and local story, and a political story. Many sex workers find a common voice in Courtney Trouble’s frustration, pride and defiance.
“How soon I got over, waiting alone at home for the telephone. Why do you care…you can’t see me…don’t wanna know me at all but I know you wanna get off.”
Trouble’s frustration evolves into a recognition of her mission to ‘seize the means of production.’
“It’s just like anything else, it’s just a job, but we’ve got the guts to profit off our own skin. They won’t acknowledge us until we own enough to control it. They won’t respect us until we give them no other choice.” (US, 4:30- 2008)

Flipping the Lens: A Look at $pread Magazine
Producer: Sex Workers Empowerment Project (SWEP); Lisa Davis, Kirby, Andrea Ritchie, Will Rockwell, Tania Torres
The mainstream media’s tendency is to gravitate towards sensationalism when covering the sex trade, while simultaneously denying the voices of sex workers themselves. News stories that allow only for victim-criminal portrayals of sex workers help enforce and perpetuate damaging stereotypes. What happens when sex workers become not just the subjects of media gaze, but the authors, reporters, and publishers of sex trade news? This documentary short takes a look at $pread Magazine, one example of sex worker-made media, and discusses its aim to change the way that media itself approaches sex work. (US, 8 min.-2009)

History
Director:Sarah Stolar; Co-produced by GiGi Gatewood
History is an emotional, whirlwind story about the psychological traumas and spiritual triumphs of one girl. Through and experimental mix of digital video, 16mm, and Super 8 film, the images move you through memory and reality, real life and artifice. Arrays of miniature rooms perceptually change the environment and are reminiscent of childhood dollhouses, a time of lost innocence. The story begins in her adolescent years, follows her through the loss of a marriage, isolation, the downward spiral of drug addiction, sexual empowerment and promiscuousness, a battle with mental insanity and suicide, and her ultimate spiritual confrontation – the Devil versus God. At last, she finds serenity and begins to pick up the pieces to start anew, only to realize her life is like a never-ending story in a movie. History premiered at the Reel Venus International Film Festival in New York City in 2004. (US, 5:03 2005)

Whore Power
Director: Robert Johanssen
A super 8 silent about discovering graffiti in an alleyway, orginally part of Mayworks – a festival of working people and/in the arts. (Canada, 3 min-1999)

x + y
Artist: Joseph Kaminski, Kaminski Art Inc.
Videos of painter & sculptor Joseph Kaminski plus X Tube videos of my porn performance persona, Mark Tatman. In presenting these videos together for the first time, I aim to illustrate that male sex workers are multi-dimensional with talents and lives beyond being sex objects. Conversely, I’m happy to show that an artist, amateur musician and simple dog lover is a sensual being, and can express himself through erotic performance. I’m as proud of my contribution to the world of adult entertainment as I am of my painting, sculpture and piano playing. These are all equally valid and rich dimensions of my personality, and in an ideal world, would coexist without negative stigma. (US, 8:09-2009)

Sorry Your Grandma Was Mugged, But I Was Busy Arresting A Hooker
Director: Carol Leigh aka Scarlot Harlot
This is a short video about the trial of Starchild, the ‘Million Dollar Male Escort,’ presents a unique approach to street theater documentation with this protest by Sex Worker Outreach Project-USA starring Robyn Few, Scarlot Harlot, Dee Dee Russell, Peter Keyes and Vanessa Nelson. In the midst of a budget crisis which has caused clogging and early closure of Fremont and Alameda courts,the District Attorney of Alameda chose to prosecute an expensive (million dollar???) case against a famous San Francisco male escort. (US, 6 min. 2008)

I am a Sex Worker
Producer: Sex Work Awareness
New York-based advocacy organization recently implemented its first day-long Speak Up media training workshop, which took place at the Harm Reduction Coalition in mid-April. At the end of the day, the workshop participants made a public service announcement video. Go to http://sexworkawareness.org to learn more about SWA’s media advocacy and public education initiatives. (US, 1 min-2009)

The Face of God
Director: Peter Pizzi; Starring: Ben McCoy
Upon sight of a charming young man, one tranny has a vision of heaven. Walking about littered streets our tragic heroine, Ben McCoy comes face-to-face with illusions and fantasies of grandeur. In an alley this boy-who-looks-like-a-girl spirals through spirituality, narcissism, capitalist consumerist longings and happily getting married; all while dancing before some hot stud. Whether the male voyeur was a student of international law, or just some hot trade – this love is blinding and binding…? The climax leaves her pondering… Was he the face of god or just another frat boy? (US, 7 min-2007)

Sadie Lune at Moma
Writer/Performer: Sadie Lune; Video by Carol Leigh
Sadie Lune presents this first person performance piece “I WANT YOU,” which won 1st Place at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on September 11, 2008. San Francisco artist, Tony Labat invited San Franciscans to participate in this live art event based on the iconic “I Want You” poster. Labat offered one minute at the museum to “seize the voice of authority, to make demands of the public, and to be the finger-pointing Uncle Sam.” Contest winners will be plastered over the city in on posters during election week. Sadie says, I Want You to Vote Yes on Prop K. (US, 1:37-2008)

Sexworkers Do Harm Reduction II
Director: PJ Starr
What is the harm in sex work? Sex workers and allies explain that criminalization and wrong-headed policy approaches are the problem. Sex work is positive, its the policy framework that causes harm. What is „harm reduction‰ for sex workers then? Health services, needle exchange, distribution of condoms, along with fighting against the laws that oppress sex worker communities. These interviews were recorded in May 2008 at the International Harm Reduction Conference in Barcelona Spain. (US, 6 min.-2008)

$pread Magazine’s “Dance Party on the Downturn”
A Launch Party for Issue 4.4

The slutty staffers of $pread Magazine (www.spreadmagazine.org), a publication by and for people in the sex industry, are throwing a dance party for the launch of their hard-hitting “The Economy” Issue. DJ Tanner and DJ Sir Loins’ll be spinning while a grab-bag of go-go dancers shimmies for bills from 10PM-4AM. Join $pread’s sexy working ladies, boys, and everybody in between on the dance floor for punk, hip-hop, and all-around workaday beats.

Saturday, February 28th
10 p.m. – 4 a.m.
The Leopard Lounge; 248 East 5th Street; 212.253.2222; $5 (Donate more if you can!)

Since $pread was launched in the spring of 2005 I have put in many hours of blood, sweat, and tears into the project. Though I’m no longer at the magazine, I am still very much an interested party.

And so, with a little bit of hesitation, I’m going to be critical of this announcement of $pread’s upcoming dance party. Tough love.

It’s possible that I’m getting conservative and cranky as I get closer to thirty, but when I read this announcement, I cringed (really truly, a visceral negative reaction) at the phrase “slutty staffers.”

If I was still at $pread, I would be throwing a serious shit fit about this phrase – but as it is, I’m going to tactfully put the smack down on it. I don’t think $pread is doing sex workers any favors by referring to its staffers as “slutty.” Even if it’s true, or if it’s meant as an offhand, fun remark, the word slutty does sex workers no service. Instead, it conflates sex work with sexual availability and eagerness – and $preadsters know better than that.

And if I’m put off by that turn of phrase – and I’m arguably slutty (or at least have been at various points in the past) – there are certainly lots of other sex workers who feel alienated by it. I appreciate $pread’s efforts at making fun events to raise money to publish the magazine, but I’d like to see something other than dance parties that use the word “slutty” in their advertising. I don’t think these kind of events serve the purpose of reaching out to broader sex work communities. Instead, they keep things narrow and exclusive – and like I said, if being who I am and all I feel like the parties are not aimed at me, I can’t even imagine how other sex workers feel.

Just some food for thought. With maximum love, but also concern.

Here’s another upcoming event for the sex work community that I think has great potential for conversation and support:

March 3rd: Community Potluck for International Sex Workers Rights Day
“Community Potluck for International Sex Workers Rights Day
Tues. Mar. 3rd, 7-9 pm

Judson Memorial Church, Manhattan
239 Thompson St (south of Washington Square Park)

Free to enter, Meal by donation – no one turned away!

Join us (people in the sex trade and our allies) for a delicious meal! Learn about campaigns and programs in our communities! Win sexy prizes in our raffle! Network, share stories, and celebrate the struggle for
our rights!

Contact:
(347) 748-9163 or swank@riseup.net to volunteer, to bring a dish or for more info!”

It’s taken me several months to let go, to really make the clear decision that my time at $pread has come to a close. But it has, and it’s time for me to move on.

Amber has written recently about activism and burn out and feeling like great things can’t be accomplished. This is kinda-sorta-notreally what I’m going through. I firmly and solidly believe that great things can be accomplished – and I believe that $pread can accomplish great things, and so can I. I am, however, feeling burnt out from three years of being an executive editor. Oh, I forgot one very important word: VOLUNTEER. Yes, it’s true – $pread is run entirely by a staff of devoted, passionate volunteers. And that takes a lot out of a person, especially after three years – three years in which I’ve started to make it as a writer and an editor in my own (paid) right.

In the future -which is to say, like, tomorrow- I will continue to work on sex work issues. I’m definitely not abandoning that part of my work, it just has to take different forms. Instead of working very specifically and separately within the sex worker communities on these issues, I want to fold them into the grander work I’m doing – like what I did with my book, writing about sexuality and sex work issues side-by-side. I have some stuff brewing that I don’t want to write about publicly and get it all jinxed, but we’ll see how everything develops over the next few months.

In the meantime, I’ll also be figuring out other ways of supporting $pread and the folks involved with the magazine, through other kinds of advocacy and hell-raising. We’ll see how it all pans out, and I’ll certainly be writing about it all as I figure it out.

And folks, this also means that $pread is looking for new contributors and people to work on editorial projects. We (they? – wow, that’s going to take some getting used to) aren’t ready to hire a full-on editor, but there is that need and opportunity once you prove your salt. Here’s the call, feel free to pass it on to anyone who might be interested:

$pread Magazine – an award-winning independent publication by and for people in the sex industry, is seeking past and current porn actors, phone sex operators, escorts, prostitutes, streetworkers, dommes, webcam workers, strippers / dancers, massage parlor workers, etc to submit work to our magazine.

We accept submissions from female, male and trans people who have done sex work in the past, as well as those who are currently still in the industry. We maintain an extremely inclusive editorial policy, as our
broadest aim is to be an informative and shameless voice of people who’ve worked in the sex industry.

STAFF-TRACK POSITIONS
We are currently looking for qualified people to become columnists / section editors, and prefer to work with people on a single writing piece first, before consideration for a longer-term assignment.

WRITING
We are seeking writers [editorial experience a bonus] to submit creative writing, pitch articles and write reviews and contribute to our various sections.

SECTIONS: We are always looking for writing for include:
Cunning Linguist – definitions of industry terminology
Scene Report – short articles about what a specific industry is like in a region [eg, dancing in Atlanta]
News – articles on news items relating to the sex industry
Creative Nonfiction, Fiction and Poetry – memoir and stories from the perspectives and experiences of people in the sex industry
Reviews – of recent books, movies, performances, websites, media etc. related to the sex industry
-We also are always looking for panelists to review products or argue
a position in some of our regular columns.

-STYLE: As well, we are looking for sexworkers who design clothes to submit information for consideration for review in our style section, and people to submit photographs of themselves in work and non-work clothes for a personal

-ARTICLES: We also welcome pitches for longer articles or interviews with people who work in or around the sex industry.

-ART: We welcome submissions of illustrations and photographs for individual usage and photo essays.

We do not offer payment for articles or art at this time, but you will receive a publishing credit and a copy of the magazine in which your work appears.

Find out more about us at www.spreadmagazine.com. Email us at contribute[at]spreadmagazine[dot]org if you’re interested in working with us – we look forward to hearing from you.

After two weeks of (relative) relaxation – which still doesn’t seem to involve more than 5 hours of sleep a night – I’m gearing up for the west coast leg of my tour. However, I do need to squeeze in one last NYC event before I go – and that’s happening tomorrow at Arena Studios [407 Broome Street, Suite 7A at 2 pm]. Vivid-Alt director and visual artist Vena Virago will present and discuss a selection of her artwork as part of the Sex Worker Visions II exhibit. And yes, that is one of her pieces at the top of this post. The event is free, and I know you like free stuff. Plus Vena is smart and has pink hair, and I know you like that too. Or at least, I do, which is why I invited her on over.

Then on Monday, I’m headed to the west coast. This trip is less travel-intensive than my east coast romp – I’m only going to do events in two cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles. I am going to have a lot more free time to explore, hang out, all that good stuff. Which means that if you’re in the aforementioned cities, and especially if you’re a blogger, sex worker, or smutmeister, you should get in touch before my dance card is full. I’m really excited about this trip because of all the cool and interesting people I’m going to get to see along the way.

Here are my official events:
July 10: Audacia Ray and Violet Blue discuss sex, tech and mutual awesomeness at an event sponsored by the Center for Sex and Culture, 7 pm at the (new location) Center for Sex and Culture, 934 Howard, 2nd floor, San Francisco
July 11: Modern Times Bookstore, 7.30 pm at 888 Valencia Street, San Francisco
July 14: Writers with Drinks with Ben Fong-Torres, Lynn Peril, Deborah Ross, Jimmy Chen, Kaya Oakes at The Make-Out Room, 7.30 pm at 3225 22nd Street, San Francisco
July 17: Freddy & Eddy, 8 pm at 12613 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles
July 19-20: Desiree Alliance conference, “Sex Work: Culture, Policy, and Benefits Exploring the Lives of Sex Workers and their Diverse Realities” at 3543 18th St #8,
San Francisco

Although there are some venue complications at the moment, it is also entirely likely that on July 22nd I will be stripping down for Dr. Sketchy’s Barbary Coast. So you can come on down and, uh, admire my curves. Purely for artistic research of course.

I return to NYC on July 24th – and that night The Bi Apple will be screening at the New Filmmakers series at Anthology Film Archives, with dirty readings interspersed between the scenes. And later that week, on July 26th, is the closing reception for Sex Worker Visions II. I’m tired and excited just thinking about all this stuff.

This is me in Boston at the Brookline Booksmith on June 7th. Photo by Punk Rock Dan

The opening was a definite success. A few pieces of art sold, and their new owners paid right there and then, which was pretty awesome and amazing. Also, I am really excited about the fact that I no longer spend the few hours before an event terrified that no one will show. The opening was consistently packed with some familiar faces, along with a lot of people I’ve never seen before, which is pretty awesome. I spent most of my time in the gallery space, schmoozing and answer questions. In the space directly below the gallery, we had the bar and the dildo show set up. A lot of the dildos sold in the silent auction, which was pretty awesome.

If you weren’t there, or if you were and didn’t pick one up, you can download the Sex Worker Visions II program as a PDF by clicking HERE. Note that you can’t browse it online by clicking the link, it’s download only. The program has my curator’s statement, plus artist bios and statements about their work. I’ve posted the curator’s statement below. You might recognize it as a more developed version of a blog post I wrote a few weeks ago:

Recently I went to the Brooklyn Museum’s new Elizabeth A. Sackler Feminist Art Center and got a little misty-eyed at the display of so much deliriously fun, aggressive, and smart art by feminists produced over the past thirty-odd years. As I walked through the exhibition of photography, installations, and video art, I thought a lot about what it would take to have a public institution devote space to the celebration of art, writing, and culture produced by sex workers, feminist or not. The answer is probably: a lot.

Audacia Ray
Curator, Sex Worker Visions II
Executive Editor, $pread Magazine
May 1, 2007

Yesterday afternoon I did most of the installation for the show, which in addition to hanging art on the walls included the unpacking of more than 40 dildos for “One Sex Worker Nation Under Dildo.” I took detail shots of most of the pieces, which you can check out on the Flickr set I created for them, which is here.

A corner of the gallery.

Here is a full list of artists whose work is appearing in Sex Worker Visions II at Arena Studios [407 Broome Street, Suite 7A] from May 1 through July 28th.

Annie Sprinkle
Genevive Zacconi
Molly Crabapple
Zak Smith
Vena Virago
Bella Vendetta
Jesse Cox
Dominic Vine
Stayc Saint O
Sarah Bleviss
Michelle Talich
Norene Leddy
Kaitlyn Tikkun
Fly

Join us for the opening because there will be booze, babes and decorated dildos in addition to the lovely and amazing art.

Once again, the details:
Sex Worker Visions II
Arena Studios, 407 Broome Street, Suite 7A
6-9 pm

When I send out calls for submission to $pread and associated events and projects, I always state that I am primarily looking for work from people who are current or former sex workers. Typically, eight out of the ten emails I get in response start out like this: “I’m not a sex worker, but…” I also get emails from people who didn’t read the info I put out into the world and when I turn them down (if I’m in the mood to write back, that is) subsequently ask questions like “what’s a sex worker?” And then there is also the contingent of sex workers who write and say, “I’m not a professional writer or artist, but…” (those are the emails I actually love and get excited about replying to).

I understand the appeal of being published in a magazine, having your art work in a show in New York, all that. I also understand the desire to help out a community that you view as deserving of support and understanding from the world at large. Sex workers are a much-maligned and stigmatized group, and there are certainly more people outside of the sex industry (so-called “civilians”) than there are inside it. Curiosity from those on the outside is rampant, and certainly not always in a bad way, however, I think it is also extremely important that sex workers be encourage to speak for themselves, produce their own culture and movement, with the support but not interference of civilians. Occasionally at $pread we get a bit of flak for prioritizing the contributions of sex workers, but here’s the thing: non-sex workers have a whole world, a whole media landscape to express themselves. Sex workers don’t – unless they are ready to deal with what it means to be an out sex worker in an unfriendly world.

So for non-sex workers who want to help, here’s some stuff you can do (and others can feel free to chime in with suggestions in the comments):

Encourage the sex workers you know to speak about their experiences and perspectives in ways that they are comfortable. For some the comfort zone is just with friends, though others may be interested in other, more public outlets. Realize that a sex worker’s perspective doesn’t have to be titillating and all about what they do in their sessions – prying for that kind of stuff probably won’t go over well, or you’ll be treated like a client.

Volunteer for sex worker support and harm reduction groups, but know that many organizations that cater to sex workers basically do affirmative action for people who have worked in the industry. Respect that and be okay with being in a supporting role. Boring support stuff like preparing mailings is mind-numbing but crucial to the existence of many non-profits or groups that are primarily run by volunteers.

Speak up when people say misguided or hateful things about people in the sex industry. This is probably the most key thing a non-sex worker can do: verbally stand up for us when someone talks smack. Do some research on resources in your area – the list of resources in $pread magazine and on our website are a good place to start – and pass the info on to folks who need it. Teachable moments abound!

Donate to sex worker support organizations – cash is always welcome, but things like computers, software, and skills are usually welcome as well. Ask if the org has a wishlist and give what you can.

Dildos courtesy of Vibrator.com, razors and knives courtesy of the $preadsters.

Don’t try this at home. It doesn’t smell awesome.

Bucking bronco dildo, sheer brilliance.

Guts and eyeballs spilling out of a dildo.

In two words, the event was fucking awesome. There was a lot of creativity and hilariousness. Also, it was really nice to be in a room of sex workers who were just chatting and swapping stories, laughing and carrying on – since I’m now retired from sex work, pretty much all the time I spend with sex workers is in some activist or magazine-related capacity, so it was awesome to goof off instead of talking about politics and the movement and all that.

These dildos, along with dildos made by sex workers in Chicago at Early 2 Bed, in Cleveland at a private sex worker gathering with dildos donated by Adam & Eve, and in Toronto at Come As You Are, will be shown at the opening to Sex Worker Visions II on May 1 from 6-9 pm at Arena Studios (407 Broome Street, Suite 7A). The dildo part of the show is called One Sex Worker Nation Under Dildo, which is funny mostly because that’s what I was calling it in my notes to myself, but then it somehow became the name of that section of the show. Heh heh. Its also not technically accurate since we have contributions from Canada.

The other part of the art show is also going to be really badass, because it includes the art of Annie Sprinkle (who also will be present at the opening), Zak Smith, Vena Virago, Genevive Zacconi and others.

Lots more pictures of the proceedings are on my Flickr.

It was pretty fabulous to look out at the crowd and not see too many familiar faces (except pretty Molly Crabapple up at the front there) – this means the word is spreading (yuk yuk).

Sarah Katherine Lewis flew in from Seattle to read from her extraordinary book Indecent: How I Make It and Fake It As a Girl For Hire. She was fabulous and funny and pleased that people actually laughed at her excerpt instead of sitting in quiet horror.

There is a set of 19 photos that I took over at Flickr, which I’m actually making an effort to use these days.